Bergamot

This curious citrus note has a floral and a herbaceous quality flowing thorough it. As I continue to smell it, I keep thinking that there is a fresh brewed cup of tea under my nose, or more particularly wet Earl Grey tea leaves that have been brewed. It's a sophisticated note compared to say juicy mandarin or fresh lemon notes which tend to pop. The Bergamot fruit is a mutation; a combination of bitter lemon and orange that is mainly cultivated in Calabria, Italy. 

It wasn't until I put Dior's Escale à Portofino on my skin that I smelled the abundance of citrus running through it. On the blotter, I could only get a delicate spicy note of ginger. Finally, on the skin, I found the effervescent citrus, the bergamot and lemon, however the gingery note remained and continued to haunt me on the ride home. There is something about Portofino that is so familiar; I kept thinking if I continue to smell this that I will be reminded of a childhood memory long forgotten. My sense of smell is still trying to place the memory even though the scent that lingered on my skin is now long gone. Hopefully, I will find the memory inside the bottle.